Lead Poisoning and the Downfall of Rome. Louise Cilliers, Francois Retief, in Toxicology in Antiquity (Second Edition), 2019. 14.1.1 Lead Production. Lead was originally mined from ores like cerusite (lead carbonate) and galenite (lead sulfide), which also contained silver, copper, gold, and even arsenic. Lead was produced in foundries near mines, and it is …